Chaci El Chanco

Rama and Katharine came up with the idea of putting a pig on the property to feed compost to and fatten up for a pig roast come November. Our mechanic, Helberth, lined up the piglet for us out in the country. Brad and I picked it up in high style with a dog kennel strapped to our roof rack. Brad got to pick the pig out and run it up a hill in a bag.

Apparently we were quite the site because groups of people were laughing and pointing as we drove through San Isidro. We went through a trafic check point and the officer, checking our papers, jumped a foot in the air as Chanci squealed at top decibel directly above him. The confused Trafico pointed up and said, as if revealling something quite important,
"There's a pig on top of your car."
I don't know what that meant but he didn't even finish looking at our papers he just waved us off.

The pig has a lot to accomplish before it's timely Thanksgiving death. Talks are currently underway to take the pig surfing and around Uvita on rope for a bar hop. This is going to have to happen soon because he's getting really big.

Panama, at last...

Ninety days in Costa Rica have been completed in Costa Rica. After ninety days in Costa Rica, tourist visas expire. Most expats are here on tourist visas and regularly leave the country to renew. With our first ninety days closing in we headed south to Panama in effect, completing the stated goal of Surfari Collin of traveling by truck from California to ... Panama.

I've heard it so many times and heeding the warning has kept me out of trouble in other countries, but in the joy of it all, this tiny bit of information fell off the back burner and out of mind; humans have visas, vehicles have visas, and the two are not one and the same.

I was ready to tackle the border by myself. No guide, just me and my gramatically challenged Spanish. Brad and I had gone through the order of stamps and had it down;
humans exit Costa Rica, dog exits Costa Rica, truck exits Costa Rica, humans enter Panama, dog enters Panama, truck enters Panama. 72 hours later repeat the same process in reverse.

Step one went fine. Humans exited Costa Rica. Then the truck exited Costa Rica. Then a crotchety official handed me the paperwork, tearing up my vehicle permit and said, "Ok, leave and do not bring the vehicle back for three months."

What? Three months! This of course would not have been a problem if we were planning on leaving Costa Rica for three months anyway. But we weren't. Brad's mom, Jan, and her husband, Pierre, were flying in to Palmar Sur, Costa Rica to visit us in just 5 days.

As can usually be expected, a "guide" popped over my left shoulder, very reminisent of the sneaky-sneaky butler in Mr. Deeds.
"What is the problem?" surprise guide asked the official. The official told him what he told me. Then surprise guide motioned us out side and broke down the situation.

So what were our options?
1. Bribe the official for another 3 month permit for the vehicle. (This official was "muy duro" and would not budge.) 1.a Tomorrow approach another official for this permit at a cost of $600 USD
2. Leave the vehicle in storage in Panama for 3 months.
3. Import the vehicle. Car Tico, problem solved at a cost of .... "let's go talk to the lawyers."
It is worth noting at this point that Paso Conoas is the chillest border town that we've encountered in Central America to date. It's also the first border where we had a clean cut guide that didn't appear to be on crack and pushing us through the border to get his cut and next high.
Our clean cut guide is named Eddie. Eddie has the system down. He's 19, studying Business at the University of Panama in David, a serious soccer player and a preacher's son. This is his job and it's all business. The kid's a natural. He also gave us his cell# in case any of our friends might need border guides... what an entrepreanuer, clintelling all on his own. His name really is Eddie so ask for him if your at that border and need help.
The import tax on our truck ran just above $1500 USD. Vehicles older than 2002 are taxed at 80% of estimated value. Vehicles between 2002 and 2004 are around 65% and 2004 and newer are taxed at 50% estimated values.
With service fees to our guide, lawyers, notary, officials, hotel room and food, and the import tax, the process took 2 days and $2000 USD.
We made it in time to pick up Jan and Pierre in Palmar Sur and other than a crater in our bank account, everything turned out just fine.
For more information on importing your vehicle to Costa Rica visit Hacienda.gob where you can obtain exact import fees. To estimate the cost of the vehicle our notaries went to carfax, car tica and kelly blue book then compiled an average price for the truck's make and model. In addition to importation at the border there is a vehicle inspection called Riteve at the R.T.V. office. The cost for this starts at $20. We definitely reccomend having a trustworthy mechanic travel with you to the RiTeVe field inspection office if you have never done it before.
Also note that a lawyer must submit your paper work in order to obtain Costa Rican Plates. We paid about $150 USD for this. Generally speaking, attorneys that do not speak English cost less and know the system just as well.
You must also pay "marchama" at the INS office which is a tax for the right to circulate Costa Rica in your vehicle. I am told that this cost depends on the vehicle. We paid $50. So here we are in Costa Rica with a Costa Rican truck and we still have not made it to Panama. With that still on the agenda we just may need to extend this trip...

High Five

Wow, another month has come and gone and we haven´t posted anything. So sorry, surfing twice a day everyday is starting to take its toll. Eat, surf, sleep, eat, surf , sleep.
We are organizing footage this week for your viewing pleasure, and including the latest and greatest of our travels here in Costa Rica.

Stay tuned for Surfing, sunsets, friends, camping, importing the truck, the purchase of a pig, more friends, a fight, Morty, my receeding hairline, surf wounds, and more.

Thanks again for your patience, and a big high five to all of you still following our journey

Pura Vida!

Its about time for a new blog!

It´s hard to believe it has been a month since our last post. We owe you all an apology, but we have been having to much fun and must have lost track of time or something like that. In three days we will have been on the farm for 3 months, our house sitting/dog sitting gig will be up.
It is time to renew our visas, which will include a 3 day trip of camping and surfing in beautiful Panama. We are excited to say the least, our big road trip will be back on and going strong.

I have some pics for your viewing pleasure, and lots more to post in the next couple of weeks.

These are two of our fiends, Karen and Kimberly, both are very good friends of ours. We have spent a lot of time with these two girls and it has been a long time since I have spent a lot of time with teenagers. Kind of a wake up call if you catch my drift.
They love to ride this motorcycle.


I had the opportunity to go with some friends to a special education school a couple of months ago and we learned a lot and made some new friends. I helped with a few class projects, but my favorite was planting this mango tree with the help of the class looking on.



In fact since I planted the tree, each time we drive to the beach, we get to see the rapid progress the tree has made. It´s a happy tree and all of the students enjoyed the time we spent together.



Stay tuned as there is more to come, thanks for staying in touch.

The wild west - Peninsula de Osa rocks our world

Good luck found us in Dominical just as our friend Rama was getting ready for a trip to the remote surf break, Cabo Matapalo on the wild Osa Peninsula. With the finca under control we decided that we were good and ready for a surf trip.



If you can rough it, and you like wild life I urge you to do the following; go to the Osa Peninsula immedietely.




Attempting to describe this savagely pristine environment would only make it slip further from my immediate memory. So in an effort to savor it's decadent taste in my mind I will break it down like so...

Monkeys. All four of Costa Rica's monos locos... Squirrel, Spider, Titi, Howlers. Throwing mangoes at humans and mating in trees.
Flocks and flocks of Scarlet Macaws. Streaks of red and blue, yellow and green.
Sand that literally walks with creatures.
Flowers with scents that will fold your senses into origami
The eyes of a stalking jaguar flashing fiercly in the firelight
Waves, pura rica linda olas
Gringos excersising immeninet domain and teenagers pissing in the face of their arrogant establishments.

Cultural Exchanges - Banana leaf seran wrap, and Death to chickens

My girlfriends of the family Salazares took an instant liking
to Moreno and Ashley. With the hurricane's damage done it was time to get onto a much anticipated hike up to the ridge for a view of the ocean and everyone was invited.
First we would need to pack lunch... not a problem. All we'd have to do is kill a couple of chickens, pull banana leaves, pick plantains and cook it all up with beans and rice.




Brad had been in a state of serious anticipation ever since he learned that he was going to get to kill the chickens. Let's just say that next time he's going to sharpen his knife.






I was pretty stoked on the use of banana leaves to wrap up my food. So all y'all in Southern Cali listen up, you don't even need seran wrap! Slice down banana leaves, hold them over a flame to soften them, wipe them down. Cut them in half and stack two leaves layered one of the other and place your lunch in the center...



Ticos like to use rice, beans, a meat, plantains and a little spaghetti. Fold up the leaf, wrap it in a handkerchief, grab your board and head out for a day at the beach.





If that doesn't say "Pura Vida" I don't know what does.






With our lunches wrapped up we set out for an epic hike through the country side that culminated in an amazing view of the coastline at Uvita. I still can't believe that we are so close to the beach yet so damn far away!

Karma Patrol- find a traveller in need and lend a hand.

As hurricane Alma began to make her way towards Costa Rica's Pacific Coast we decided that we needed one more trip to the beach to rest our landlocked souls. Passing through San Isidro we saw a VW bus being worked on by what appeared to be Gringos with British Colombia plates.


Enter Moreno and Ashley. These two are on their way from BC through South America and had not stopped to rest for the majority of their trip. With the weather coming and their van in questionable condition we decided that it would be best to offer our drive way at the finca as a resting spot for them. Under one condition, feed the animals.





Two days later the two showed up drenched to the bone but with a running van. Apparently they had not recieved the news that a tropical storm was in full affect. Assuming that this sort of torrential downpour was normal, Moreno worked on the van lying in a river of run off while the city closed down and 28 houses fell into the river.





With cultural immersion on the agenda, Ashley and Moreno made it to the finca just in time for some serious finca fun.